Health Care - Privatize or socialize?

Miakal

It seems the big question in America is whether to socialize or keep medical care privatized.

It seems to me that if you socialize medicine you risk a great deal of medical advancement and technology in the process.

For example, Canada and Great Britain seem to have awful medical care compared to America. Agree or disagree?

Further, America already has special programs to help out the poor and needy. Almost every state has a program which offers cheap/free medical care, and every large city has a free clinic...which usually offers a staff of volunteer doctors from local major hospitals.

So I see no reason to socialize it. I think there should be ways to make available the options to the masses, though. I think many states, free clinics, and government programs are often masked in a dark layer of red tape so many people don't get the care that is available to them...and that's unfortunate. Everyone deserves medical care, and I think it's just good common sense to provide assistance and free care for people...but in all out Government socialized medical program would be a huge disaster and would threaten the level of care for everyone.

Agree or disagree?

DMW

Good God, I agree. Mostly.

I'm actually kind of on the fence about this issue because you want everyone to get medicare, but it would be at the cost of quality to the average person. No one has yet come up with an effective universal healthcare program, so I certainly don't want it right now. I think if we do get any kind of socialized medicare, it should be on a state by state basis, but then again I think almost all laws should be on a state by state basis. Federal government just screws things up too much.

skinartia

I have no problem with Canada's medical care quality. I prefer it to be socialized because everyone should be entitled to health irregardless of their wealth (that rhymes).

::skinartia::

"I hate every bone in your body but mine.
I can't wait 'til I can hate you tonight."

~Poison

DaveyBoy

canadas medical care isn't poor, the problem is the big money is in the states so there is a huge shortage of medical staff in canada making waiting lists incredably long forcing many people to go the the states and pay for procedures and what not to get them done rather than waiting years to get it done via medicare. It's really the quantity that is lacking, part of the whole brain drain that'sbeen going on for some time now.

DMW

I think that's the point being made. Without the financial motivation provided by privitized healthcare, the quality (o quantity, whichever way you want to look at it) falls.

whaddapiece

Maybe I'm speaking from a personal (or selfish) viewpoint, but it's pretty sad when you make less than 10,000 a year and still can't get a break on healthcare ::hmmm::

Miakal

[quote:post_uid0="whaddapiece"]Maybe I'm speaking from a personal (or selfish) viewpoint, but it's pretty sad when you make less than 10,000 a year and still can't get a break on healthcare ::hmmm::[/quote:post_uid0]
You should check with social services in your area. I don't know what state you live in but I would highly imagine that whatever state you are in has a program for people who need assistance.

For awhile I was paying 10 bucks a month which included dental, medical, and prescriptions.

whaddapiece

Yeah I applied through FIA (Family Independence Agency) who handles that type of thing here, but they didn't accept me. Because of my living arrangements and the fact that I have money in the bank that I've been saving up for years most likely. They count that as assets. Even owning a vehicle counts against you. So I'm a little bitter.

I got screwed the same way on Financial Aid when I went to college. 4 1/2 years and I never got a pell grant. Since I was living with my parents, they counted all their stuff as assets. I knew friends whose parents were making double what mine were and they were getting grants because they hid their money well and didn't own any property. Now I'm paying back thousands of dollars on loans that I've barely made a dent in, not to mention that my dad almost seriously went broke trying to help me through school. On top of it all, I was working.

Kind of a long story. I just wish they could bend the rules to accomodate a situation. Everyone's situation is different but those application forms are black and white about everything and they don't take into account the gray areas in life...